Abstract

Since 2012 the anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) movement has gained significant grassroots momentum in its efforts to require mandatory GMO food labels through state-level ballot and legislative efforts. Major food and agriculture corporations are opposed to mandatory GMO labels and have successfully defeated most of these initiatives. Nevertheless, these battles have garnered significant media attention and re-energized the debate over GMO crops and foods. In this paper, we argue that one of the most significant outcomes of this fight is efforts by food retailers and value-based food companies to implement voluntary non-GMO labels and brands. We draw on the governance and political consumerism literature to explore (counter) movement efforts for mandatory labels and how these efforts are being institutionalized through private voluntary governance institutions. Our assessment is based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key informants from consumer and environmental organizations, agriculture and biotech companies, and government regulatory agencies, as well as a content analysis of food industry websites. A growing number of food retailers recognize the reputational and economic value that new niche markets for non-GMO foods can offer, while the anti-GMO movement views these efforts as a step in the direction of mandatory GMO labels. We conclude that voluntary labels may act to settle the labeling debate by mollifying agri-food industry concerns about mandatory labeling and meeting the desire of political consumers for greater choice and transparency but without addressing the broader social and environmental sustainability concerns that drives the anti-GMO movement in the first place.

Highlights

  • Since 2012 the anti-GMO movement in the US has gained significant momentum in their efforts to label genetically modified [1] foods

  • The movement has succeeded in getting ballot initiatives or legislation to mandate GMO food labels introduced in numerous states across the country

  • While much of the public attention has focused on the battle over mandatory labeling, we argue that of potentially greater long-term significance are current voluntary private governance initiatives

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Summary

Introduction

Since 2012 the anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) movement in the US has gained significant momentum in their efforts to label genetically modified [1] foods. We conclude that voluntary labels may have the unintended consequence for the anti-GMO social movement of settling the labeling debate by mollifying agri-food industry concerns about mandatory labeling and meeting the desire of political consumers for greater choice and transparency. That this settlement is likely to occur without addressing the broader social and environmental sustainability concerns that drives the anti-GMO movement in the first place

Methods
Private Governance and Political Consumerism of Non-GMO Labeling
Federal Regulation of GMO Crops and Foods
Mobilizing for—and Against—Mandatory Labels
Mobilizing for Voluntary Labels
Setting the Standard for Non-GMO Labels
Conclusions
Findings
26. Organic
Full Text
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